Invasive Species: Egyptian Goose

          The Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) is more commonly found round waterholes in the Savannah of Africa. Related to the Shelduck its a fairly common Goose. To see it around the average park pond is becoming an increasingly common phenomenon, however how did they get there and where did they come from. Many people used to have them as a decorative bird for collections. As time has passed these collections have either escaped or been released by the collector. This has allowed the Egyptian Goose to colonise Britain. It was mostly confined to East Anglia because of the amount of wetlands in this part of the country. But in the last few years the Goose has begun to spread out and can now be found in London, Kent and Sussex. These are not the only species to of escaped, there are many more lurking out in the UK.
           It is not the most striking of birds, it is mostly brown with a very distinctive eye patch. One of the main behavioral traits of this invader, is its territorial attitude. Once a suitable pond is found, you should only ever find two geese, a male and his mate. According to the RSPB over 1,000 pairs now nest and reproduce in the UK, and because of this the Egyptian Goose is now recognised as a species that resides in the UK. Whether it is native or not is still debated. They will guard this body of water from any other Egyptian goose and sometimes other birds as well. It can be a problem for more native, passive species.
           There are some positives to having this invader around. For many people there will not really be a chance to see the goose in its native environment. If you want to have a taste of Africa then this goose is perfect for you and in the UK the chance is becoming very high. Another positive can be found in the goose feeding behavior. It is usually a land feeder, cropping plants such as grasses and flowers as it goes. It will also ingest the seeds and as it wanders over the land it is spreading the seeds by defecating out the seeds as it walks over the land. This helps many native plants to colonise new areas for growth.

              These photos were taken in Hampden Park, however in recent weeks it seems the geese have moved on, whether or not they just wintered in the UK and have flown south now back to the native environment we shall never know. They is not evidence that these geese are causing damage to the local environment like so many other introduced species. They have successfully bred and look like they are here to stay. If you come across any on your travels then let me know because I would be interested to know how far they have managed to colonise.

Port Lympe:Review

If you cannot afford to go on safari in Africa and still want to have an authentic, thrilling experience may I suggest Port Lympe Wildlife Park, which is located in Kent near Hythe. I have not visited the Park for nearly twenty years, and I must admit when I returned I was mightily impressed. The Park itself focuses on giving tourists a safari style adventure. With over 100 hectares for the game to wander in, it is by far one of the more spacious wildlife collections you will visit in the UK. Along with that they have a very large selection of carnivores as well as other large animals which are involved in breeding programs to be released back into the wild. No Matter what you think of Zoos, Port Lympe is definitely one of the leaders in wildlife conservation. Many species of animal at the park had been reintroduced back into the wild or put on the conservation program across the world. Successful reintroduction included, European Bison, Lowland Gorilla and Black Rhino. 

Many People know of the plight of the Black and White Rhino's across Africa. Port Lympe has a successful breeding program, I counted several calves with their mothers around the park and they have even reintroduced a couple back to the wild. However its a slow process and making Rhinos takes time. Realistically too many Rhinos are being slaughtered than can be made. In the future it maybe that we only ever see a rhino in a wildlife park like this. Its great that Port Lympe are trying and its amazing to see the magnificent beast. Its distressing to think though that they are slaughtered for their horns which in turn is the same material that a fingernail is made from.

On the main drive on the safari, you enter a very large pen, here there is a huge variety of animals, on a good day you should expect to see: Giraffe, Ostrich, Eland, Lechwe, Mountain and Grevys Zebra, Wildebeest, Defassa Waterbuck and Roan Antelope, They are all thrown in together and can be seen from the trucks. The food stations are located around the road, therefore you may be exceptionally lucky to get up close and personal with some of Africa's big Game. The park can boast having Africa's Largest and Second Largest Antelopes on Site, with Eland and Roan Antelope respectively.

Top Left Roan Antelope, Top Right Giraffe, Bottom Left Eland, Bottom Right Roan Antelope.

Once you have completed the tour of Africa, you can choose to continue on foot through the predator section. Animals Such as: Wild Dog, Cheetah, Pallas Cat, Clouded Leopard, Snow Leopard, Fishing Cat, Scottish Wild Cat, Ocelot, Barbary Lion and Bengal Tiger can be found in this section. However the only slight disappointment is a lot of these animals are quite shy and nocturnal so the actual chance of seeing some of them could be quite slim.

 Top Left Snow Leopard, Top Right Clouded Leopard, Bottom Left Bengal Tiger, Bottom Right Cheetah

The Cat collection is very impressive, with plenty of rare and endangered species benefiting from Port Lympe's work. After Wandering through this section you head up to the primate section and you will also pass the Malyan Tapir. There are many different Primates here including: Diana Monkeys, De Brazza's Monkey, Drills and Langur Speices, with the Lowland Gorillas being the real big attraction at the end. Once completing this part of the zoo you then have all the rhino Paddocks, to wander leisurely around and in these paddocks their are some other wildlife including: Blackbuck, Axis Deer and Red Pandas, which are charismatic and adorable to watch. I would say that all of the animals are pretty well cared for and have quite spacious enclosures. The zoo is set in a quiet peaceful place therefore the animals do not have to deal with any traffic or busy bustle. The price is reasonable and I would recommend heading down to this wildlife park to see the work that is carried out and meet the cast of endearing animals that feature. It is mostly mammal orientated so if you are into Insects, Reptiles, Birds or fish this may not be the place for you. Watch out for my second blog on Port Lympe having a look at the conservation projects at the park.